


water (bonding pairs)

by Lauren (notalwaysweak)



Series: elements of desire [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 02:01:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7666054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notalwaysweak/pseuds/Lauren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.</p><p>An extended polycule begins with a single molecule.</p>
            </blockquote>





	water (bonding pairs)

Percy never goes to one of the twins smelling of the other; it would be dreadfully impolite.

It means a lot of bathing, and sometimes it's counterproductive bathing, because Vex in particular is fond of bathing with him, and the consequences of bare skin and bubbles are entirely her fault. He can't very well get into Vax's bed with the scent of Vax's wet, soapy sister on him.

Not that he hops from bed to bed, either. That would also be impolite. But, among all the other myriad ways that the twins are alike, they are both very bad at sharing when it comes to their lovers. The very last thing that Percy wants is a squabble at the breakfast table over where he spent the night. It isn't that the rest of Vox Machina don't know to some extent, but an actual argument in front of them would be unbearable.

Therefore, he has a—well, it's a schedule. Sort of. It's encoded in his notes, hidden among the most boring drivel about black powder measurements that he could come up with, and if either twin ever finds it he's going to literally set himself on fire rather than explain.

As for the rest of—the other—the _metamours_ involved, they have their signs and symbols as well.

When Zahra and Kashaw might be about. When Keyleth has a particularly involved meditation scheduled. When Gilmore's not up to his neck in arcane creations.

Percy refuses to take notes any further than that, but if the ripple effect of someone further out in the polycule comes back to him, he's learning to take it in stride.

Like if Zahra and Kashaw turn up, and so Keyleth and Kashaw do their weird shy not-flirting thing while Vex and Zahra go off for some decidedly not shy private time, then maybe Percy will still end up asleep with his face buried in dark hair, curled against a warm back, but with his hand resting on the flat planes of Vax's chest instead of the soft curves of Vex's.

Either way, he's cautiously learning to be happy.

 

That comes later, though.

 

It starts with Vex.

She needles him and it _might_ be unintentional.

When Vax and Keyleth are sitting at the far end of the table, not quite gazing into each other's eyes but definitely within each other's personal space: "Do you ever wish you had a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Partner? No, you're too into your work."

When Scanlan sings his latest ode to Pike, who patiently listens through it and then gently turns him down yet again: "That's really very romantic, isn't it? I suppose romantic gestures aren't really your thing."

When Grog and Scanlan set out for one of their jaunts to a house of lady favors, post said ode and rejection: "Why don't you join them, Percy? Oh—you're not really into the whole sex thing."

It's probably not unintentional, as much as she tries to make it sound like she's blithely thinking out loud.

One evening they're in his workshop in Scanlan's mansion; he's working to shape one of the stirrups for her broom, and Vex is sitting on the bench, legs swinging, fletching an arrow. Her leather armor rests on the floor near the doorway. She shed it after five minutes, complaining about the heat from the forge. Underneath it she's wearing soft fawn-colored leggings and an off-white, close-fitting tunic that she has at some point hacked off so that it stops at her hips instead of coming to her knees.

"It's so weird thinking about Scanlan as a father," she says, squinting along the shaft of the arrow and adjusting one of the feathers slightly. "I can't imagine any of us as parents."

"He seems to be very dedicated to her," Percy says.

"And so quickly." Vex puts the arrow down and picks up a fresh shaft, sorting through the loose feathers. "Do you think you'll have children? I suppose that's something that's required of nobility."

"It is, rather."

"Even though you're not terribly into romance?"

Percy puts down the hammer that he's been using and crosses the small space between them, coming to a halt between her spread knees and planting his hands on them. His face is very close to hers; Vex can smell the heat and sweat of his skin.

"What makes you think I'm not terribly into romance?" he asks, breath puffing against her lips.

"You... ah... you never flirt, you never say anything about it, you..."

Percy touches his lips to her cheek, like one of her fleeting thank you kisses. It occurs to Vex that he's accepted them almost every time with an actual spoken _thank you_. He kisses her other cheek, and this time his lips linger. He draws back, and Vex sees equal parts gravitas and glee glittering in his eyes.

"Unlike some people, I don't think that every single gesture has to be overtly obvious to be romantic," he says. "But if you insist..." He picks up one of her fletching feathers and strokes her cheek with it, eyes locked on hers.

Oh. _Oh_.

Vex hooks one of her feet around the back of his knees, threads her fingers into his hair, and pulls him into a kiss. His glasses knock against her face; she makes a small irritated noise, yanks them off, and deposits them on the pile of feathers before moving to align their mouths again.

Percy takes a little control, to the extent that anyone can ever take control of a whirlwind. He takes her braid loosely in his hand, strokes her glossy hair until Vex is practically purring. She in turn lets go of his hair with one hand—although the other remains, and holds him close with a pleasant amount of pressure—and runs her fingernails down his back until he laughs against her lips.

"What?" Vex asks.

"Vex'ahlia, dear, you don't have to claw at me like that. You have me perfectly well caught."

"What if I just want to?" Vex drags her nails down his back again and when her hand reaches his backside her fingers curve to pull him as close up against her as possible. The hand in his hair leaves it to trail her fingertips down his arm to where charging up Diplomacy has left a fine network of scars over his palm and forearm. "What if I want to leave marks on you like this?"

Percy licks his lips. "I can't really argue with that."

"Nor should you try to. _Dear_ ," Vex says, claiming his mouth with her own once more.

 

They don't go out of their way to announce the relationship, but nor do they particularly try to hide it, and so Vax corners Percy in his workshop ( _why_? why is it always while he's working? oh, because he's easy to hunt down when he's trying to do things of benefit to the group, and _of course_ it doesn't matter if he gets interrupted while he's making things that go boom).

"I know about you and my sister," he announces.

Percy dunks his powdery hands in a bucket of water and dries them on a cloth (being of Scanlan's imagination, it has dicks embroidered on it).

"Yes?" he says cautiously, not sure whether to expect the standard warning about not causing any harm, or whether Vax will skip straight to shoving him in the forge.

Instead, Vax gives him the saddest look he's seen since the last time Vex shut Trinket out of her room so they could—could do something he's not entirely comfortable thinking about in front of her brother—and says, "I wish I'd gotten to you first."

"...pardon?" Percy says eloquently.

"I know it's not fair to say so, but there have been times, Percival, when—"

"You greedy utter bastard," Percy says, Vax's language coming out of his mouth. "Me _too_? As well as Gilmore and Keyleth? _Vax_."

Vax looks about three-quarters ashamed and a quarter relieved. "Thank you for putting it so concisely."

"You _shit_." Percy doesn't know whether to slap him or laugh or both. He settles for putting his hands to his face, dragging them over his eyes, his cheeks, trying to rub away the feeling that he's about to fall in over his head into something he's not quite sure of.

Vax watches him, rather enjoying the sight of Percy flustered. "Are you not at all interested, then?"

" _Vax_ ," Percy repeats. "You do recall that, as you yourself said, you know about me and your sister?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't the existence of that relationship rather exclude anything from happening between you and I?"

"I don't see why." Vax boosts himself up onto the workbench in an uncanny imitation of his sister. "It's not as though I'm asking to join in _with_ you." He relishes the shocked expression on Percy's face for a long moment before adding, "I just thought there might be an arrangement to be found..."

"You really _are_ a greedy utter bastard."

"I'm not denying that in the slightest. The question, Percival, is how greedy _you_ are."

Percy's shaking his head, but skepticism and avarice are warring on his face, and Vax is pretty sure he's won.

"It's hard enough keeping things between Vex and myself quiet," says Percy.

"Do you really think the rest of the party are going to care?" asks Vax.

They stare at each other for a moment longer before Percy sighs and removes his glasses, setting them out of harm's way. "Just try not to break anything, all right?"

"I would _never_ ," Vax says, putting his hands on Percy's hips and tugging him close.

 

On the bright side, the three glass flasks, two lengths of glass tubing, and one china crucible that wind up in shards on the floor are all the products of Scanlan's mansion, meaning that Vax and Percy don't have to bother cleaning them up.

 

It starts with Vex; it continues with her brother, and to Percy's constant surprise neither of them seem to mind.

**Author's Note:**

> 'Metamour' is the Gnomish word for the lover of one's lover (see the _Gnomish Kama Sutra_ chapter two, 'Love Languages'). Similarly, it was a Gnome who coined the word 'polycule' to refer to the extended network of relationships between polyamorous people (see the _Gnomish Kama Sutra_ chapter one, 'Love History').


End file.
